"A week of extremes in the US as Arctic air plunges southwards across many states, sweeping away record-breaking warmth from last weekend. With low pressure in the west drawing up warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, much of the south and midwest basked in spring-like weather this weekend with temperatures widely an extraordinary 15-20C above normal for late December."
"Across the Pacific, winter has firmly established itself in Japan with severe weather causing havoc to daily life. Heavy snow and icy conditions resulted in a deadly pileup last Friday on a motorway in Minakami, Gunma prefecture, leaving two dead and dozens injured. More heavy snow is forecast this week as bitterly-cold westerly winds from Siberia blow across the comparatively warmer Sea of Japan, picking up moisture and resulting in a phenomenon known as sea-effect snow that can affect much of northern and western Japan."
"Summer storms have hammered parts of the South Island of New Zealand with torrential rain, large hail and lightning, which has caused severe disruption to travel in many places in recent days, with the Canterbury Plains seeing a rare and powerful supercell storm. Further severe weather is anticipated in the country over the coming days, with the North Island expected to experience strong winds and very high rainfall totals of 100mm in western parts, with some areas perhaps recording up to 200mm,"
A strong Arctic air mass is set to plunge southward across the US, replacing recent record-breaking warmth and bringing freezing temperatures and a risk of snow. Low pressure in the west previously drew warm, humid Gulf air, producing temperatures 15-20C above normal for late December across much of the south and midwest. Remarkably high temperatures have also occurred in South America, with Sao Paulo reaching 36.2C and heat expected to spread into Chile and Argentina. Japan is experiencing heavy sea-effect snow with a deadly motorway pileup, and New Zealand has endured supercell storms, hail, and torrential rain with more severe weather forecast.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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